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Primordial Explorations
---- Bridge :The suprisingly humble bridge to this mighty turtle is functional and spartan. The consoles line the small bridge, arrayed in a T, the commander having a full view of his underlings and the viewscreen that he commands. The newly-cleaned steel-gray walls glitter, while the busy bridge crew conspires to clutter it again. :Tue Dec 07 01:22:23 2651 Brightclaw plays a little with the seat straps, falling asleep again. "Marrooon clouds..." Trillan steps onto the bridge, eyes immediately drawn to the viewscreen. "We going to head down planetside?" He flicks a curious glance toward Brightclaw. A thin trickle of drool cascades slowly down like a spider to the metal surface of a control panel from BC's mouth. You feel a sudden jerk as the ship speeds up. Snowmist's mouth twitches and she struggles to suppress a laugh--an especially bad idea in her present condition--and turns toward Trillan to nod in greeting, trying to distract herself. You feel the ship begin to slow. You feel a slight force as the ship glides to a halt ... The ship shudders as the drop rockets engage and the ship begins its descent. Brightclaw whuffles a little as the ship descends from orbit, his eyes blinking away crusted salt. The string of drool swings wide as he looks about. The landing struts thump against the surface. Trillan nods back to Snowmist with an amused flick of his ear in Brightclaw's direction. Sharpeye fiddles with his communications headset. Sharpeye throws a datapad at Brightclaw. "Wake up. Go get yourself a rifle." Brightclaw yelps a little as the pad hits him on the shoulder, clattering to the deckplates. "Whuff. Ow. Aye, Commander," he mumbles as he unstraps, retrieves the pad, and places it on the counter absently, stumbling towards the hatchway. Brightclaw rubs his forehead with the back of a paw as he schmaks his jaws awake. Brightclaw heads into Corridor . Snowmist reaches up with her left hand to take Trill's arm, getting his attention. "Take care o' Sharp," she murmurs, before calling out to Sharpeye as loudly as she dares without inciting another coughing fit, "Watch yourself." Sharpeye stands from his seat, smiling slightly at Snowmist. "You'll be all right monitoring things from in here?" Trillan nods, murmuring back, "'f course," before gently disengaging her grasp and moving toward the door. Sharpeye unmans the Navigation Console. Sharpeye heads into Corridor . Brightclaw arrives from CO Quarters/Briefing . Sharpeye hands a breather mask to Trillan and Brightclaw, slipping one over his own face. Sharpeye disembarks to the surface. Brightclaw skritches his ribs with the muzzle of the rifle. "Mm.." Grabs the mask and puts it on. Trillan takes the offered mask and pulls it over his face before following Sharpeye. You disembark to the surface. MacTabar remarks: "reminds me of Brooklyn..." Brightclaw exits from the Heart of Gold. Volestad turns, looking over the expansive ocean around this island. "Quite a sight..." Brightclaw stumbles out sleepily, gazing around. "This is a nice dream..." He shoulders a pulse rifle, and adjusts his breathing mask. "Except for this dang mask." There is a slight rumbling from the depths of the planet. It subsides in a few moments. Trillan's mouth quirks as he regards Brightclaw, but doesn't comment as he turns to examine his surroundings, left hand reaching down to loosen his pistol in its holster. Brightclaw looks vaguely downward. "Gads. Shouldn't have had those beans for dinner." Volestad freezes in place as the ground rumples a bit. Sharpeye steps off the Heart of Gold's boarding ramp, slowly taking a look around the flat. He lifts an eyebrow at the rumbling planet, and wonders whether Brightclaw's comment could apply to stellar bodies as well as Demarian ones. Brightclaw skritches the back of his neck where the mask is strapped on, sounding muffled. "Why can't they design these things to be comfortable, for Altheor's sake..." Volestad surveys inward, toward the mountain peak, and across the beach. "Where shall we go?" Brightclaw peers at MacTabar through the clear flexglass. "This stuff breatheable? You look... scientific." He glances at Mac's computer. Brightclaw swishes his tail in little irritated loops. Waking up, apparently. Volestad looks toward the splotches of green. "There are plants... but Sister Esther pointed out that it may be thin in oxygen, still." Trillan glances at the unfamiliar faces, committing them to memory, before moving surreptitiously to Sharpeye's back, maintaining a position a few arms lengths behind his left shoulder, eyes continuously roaming over the alien landscape. Sharpeye walks back up the ramp for a moment and comes back down with a folded tripod device about three feet long which he carries a little distance from the ship before setting up in the clay. He taps at some controls and a drill bit begins whirring. Brightclaw sighs, and fidgets a little more with the mask, muffling out (All right.) He tilts his head at Sharpeye, and krikks his back. MacTabar turns to Sharp: "Actually, not really. It's merely an agenda and portfolio, nothing else" Volestad looks toward Sharpeye, "Is that a mineralogical surveyor?" Sharpeye taps at the device's screen and nods to Volestad. "I'm take a sample bore of the topmost sediment layers here." (Oh. Well, so much for having a scientist...) Brightclaw trails off seeing Sharpeye's surgical operations. Volestad nods stiffly, and waits for the results. Brightclaw walks a little to the northeast, looking at the lava flow in the distance. (Looks like we got a pretty active lil' planet here.) Sharpeye hmms, tapping at the controls. "Looks like this area was recently deposited... can't be more than a few thousand years old. And it bears a good amount of metals and other useful resources." Brightclaw chrrfs. (As long as we can survive the collecting of it, Commander.) Volestad hums, "Perhaps we can retrieve some valuable resources from this place." He looks toward the greenery to the east. "I wonder if the plant life is edible..." A sudden burst of steam bubbles from the ocean, some thirty meters to the west. The side of BC's maw turns up a little. (I'm not sure I'd want a salad from this place... But what say we take a look- yishe!) BC leaps up a little at the burst. Trillan eyes the strip of greenery intently, ears perked alertly, a whisker twitching as he resists the urge to try and sample the air for scents. An ear flicks abruptly toward the bubbling, but other than that one flinch, he seems to remain calm and unruffled. MacTabar in a muffled voice: "Maybe we should collect samples. Our folks at GE could..." then stops abruptly at the noise Sharpeye quirks his lips. "Retrieve a sample. We can take it back for analysis. I think it might also be a good idea to deploy a weather satellite in orbit to track these cloud patterns. If any retrieval of resources is going to be attempted, we'll need more info on--" he cuts off as the loud noise of the steam reaches his sensitive ears. Volestad turns sharply to the spout out in the ocean. Sharpeye quickly swivels a sensor suite and video recorder on the geological surveyor setup to record the ocean phenomenon. "It appears as though this region of the planet is rather unstable." BC edges a little away from the 'waters' edge, as if that would do any good. (Er... why don't we maybe look at the friendly plant life.) Trillan glances toward the bubbles and then looks toward Sharpeye. "Just this region, or is the entire planet seismically active?" The monitor on the scanner highlights an apparent volcanic vent under the surface where the bubbling occurs. Sharpeye twitches a whisker. "It would be odd if only this region had significant seismic activity. But we will-- ah, hold on a second...." he taps at the instruments. Brightclaw glances down at the screen as he moves away. (Fur and lava don't mix well at all. Er.. I have a feeling, anyway.) Brightclaw sighs and looks fruitlessly for a safe place to sit, and crunches himself down onto the salt beach. Sharpeye peers at the screen, wiping some moisture from its surface to make out some readings. "Looks like a volcanic vent. We might be sitting on top of a hotspot. I wouldn't be surprised if a major plate divergence zone is located not too far from here." Brightclaw stands abruptly at that, glaring suspiciously at the ground. (Ugh. Sounds bad, whatever it is.) MacTabar looks everywhere with a worried glance: "Er, what say you we move to a less unstable region?" Brightclaw looks all too happy to comply. (Those plants sure look interesting!) He moves off hopefully in that direction. This path winds up the jagged mountainside along a long since cooled lava flow. Volestad swivels his head, taking in another look around. "Well, there is not much of interest in this particular vicinity. Certainly nothing of immediate use." He watches Brightclaw trundle off to the east, and moves to follow. Sharpeye stares at the waters for a moment. "I want to drop a probe down into the vent. Let it record some data and we can retrieve it in a few days." Volestad turns back to Sharpeye. "Excellent idea. How much time will it take to set up?" Brightclaw looks back, a bit concerned, ears flickering (Ah, not to contradict you scientist types, but maybe ...) he looks up at the huge peak, (maybe we shouldn't fiddle too much right now, you know, the Volcano Mother and all?) He does a little anxious 'let's get out of here' dance on the path eastward. Sharpeye shrugs. "Shouldn't take long. We can take a standard short-range atmospheric probe and modify the thrusters to work underwater; maybe add in a few extra instrumentation packages." Volestad hums, "If you wish to do that now, go ahead." He turns to Brightclaw. "I am as anxious as your friend there to see what else is to be found..." Brightclaw unslings his rifle, and holds it in an attempt to calm his nerves. (It's a beautiful day in Volcano land... a beautiful day in volcano land...) MacTabar tries to look confident but everyone notices how eagerly he watches those hospitable plants eastward Sharpeye pulls the comlink from his belt and gives some orders to the crew on his ship before flipping it off and replacing it in its holder. He retrieves a small vial from a bag on the surveyor and starts walking off toward the edge of the beach, where the waters wash up onto the sands. Brightclaw winces. (Careful there, Commander!) he calls out, tail lashing fretfully. Trillan trails behind Sharpeye, scuffing a foot occasionally at the ground, scattering salt crystals and loose clay. Volestad looks down at the layer of salt on the ground. He bends down, scooping up one of the larger crystals, and pockets it. Sharpeye calls over his shoulder, "The vent is at least four klicks offshore. I just want a water sample. Never been to the beach before, 'Claw?" Brightclaw shudders. (Only the one time we went sailing...) he trails off. The water is hot, but not scalding. It has a slight, rusty color. Trillan says, "I find myself rapidly tiring of the shade 'red' and all its derivatives." Sharpeye shrugs and kneels down, the shallow surf washing over the edges of his boots. He dunks the vial under water before capping it and standing up, holding it up to the light of the sky. "Odd. Probably has a high content percentage of clay particles." Brightclaw calls out (Or blood.) Volestad nods to Trillan. "Yes." He looks back to the green plants. "A change of color would be nice... Shall we?" He flickers with bright yellow light. Brightclaw sniffs the air suspiciously, then realizes he can't smell much at all with the itchy mask on. Sharpeye twitches a whisker and slips the vial into a sample bag which he ties to his belt. MacTabar pulls himself another cigar, then remembers about the stupid mask. "Oh, crap." Brightclaw sees some movement, and smiles nervously, his feet already moving up the path eastwards again. (Gads, I don't think this would make a very nice vacation spot at all.) He peers again at the large peak. Volestad walks along behind Brightclaw, anxious to see some new terrain. Brightclaw turns fully facing the grassy terrain, anxious to begone. (Salt, salt, everywhere.) Trillan nods to Sharpeye. "Has your crew finished with the probe? It would be best not to remain in one spot for too long." "Let's find out, shall we?" Sharpeye asks, pulling the comlink from his belt and flipping the switch. The little light turns green. "Hey, Mist, how are they coming along on that probe?" Brightclaw continues to pad up towards the green, trotting lightly now with his rifle in paws. Snowmist's voice, already soft, is barely audible over the comm. "They're just about finished...last--'kay. Ready...t'launch." Sharpeye shifts his weight to his other foot. "All right. Have them launch it. Make sure they remembered to load it in the top tube. I don't want it firing at the ground." A probe arcs from the Heart of Gold with a soft *phoom* and splashes into the ocean over the bubbling section. A few moments later, there is a delayed burst of in the stream of bubbles. Snowmist's voice once again floats out from the comm, "Looks like...everything's green. Keep me posted...if y'move on?" Sharpeye smirks slightly. "Will do. You could always watch through the ship's externals cams, y'know." There is a distinctly miffed pause before she retorts, "Can only see, not hear. An' the moisture's foggin'...the lens...not t'mention the heat...distortions in distance..." Brightclaw whistles to himself in his mask, and heads forward, nearing the land o' green. Sharpeye grins. "Turn on your localizers." A strong breeze flows through for a minute, causing the plants in the distance to wave slightly. Brightclaw chuckles. (Sure hope there aren't any big flying dinosaurs around! Aheh heh.) He searches the sky nervously. "Fine. Keep me posted anyway." The comm clicks off. There are no creatures in the sky. In fact there are no creatures at all, not even insects. Brightclaw sniffs a little under his mask. (Weird place.) Sharpeye puts the commlink on his belt and turns to Trillan. "You have any kind of game tracker on y'? You know, the scanners they make for hunting... to detect living objects?" Volestad grins slightly, under the mask. "We could always take a walk around..." Trillan shakes his head. "What would I need with such in usually densely populated areas?" Brightclaw waits impatiently at a ridge. (Yes, let's take a walk.) MacTabar jerks up as he finally realizes what his subconscious has been trying to scream ever since they landed: (Say, listen..not a noise. we should be hearing insects and birds, right.?) Sharpeye shakes his head. "Not if fauna hasn't evolved yet on this world." Brightclaw tilts his head. (Yes, that's - that's right! I - was just about to say that.) Volestad hums. "Perhaps this planet does not yet support animal life. It is rather young, geologically speaking..." (And perhaps they've all been... burned to death horribly by lava.) BC casts about, feet itching to go. Sharpeye sighs. "Then go back on the ship. I'm sure the shields will protect you in case of an eruption." Volestad trudges up the ridge. "Let us go. There is very little on this beach left to examine, I think." Trillan doesn't bother voicing an opinion but begins to walk toward the greenery. You head into Pod Forest. ---- Volestad arrives from Salt Flat. Brightclaw arrives from Salt Flat. Sharpeye arrives from Salt Flat. MacTabar arrives from Salt Flat. Scattered throughout this area are bulbous green pods, growing up spindly stems. The pods are about as large as a party balloon, and looks to have a similar texture. Every now and then, the wind picks up and one of the pods falls to the ground, where it bursts open, spreading small seeds to the air. Sharpeye carefully nudges one of the pods lying on the ground with his boot toe. (Well, would you look at that!) BC pokes at a seed with the rifle muzzle. (Wonder if it's edible...) Sharpeye snorts. "I thought you'd have learned by now not to go around playing with strange plants?" MacTabar adds (wonder if *we* are edible...) Brightclaw peers over at Sharpeye who is nudging pods with his feet, and lifts a brow. Volestad hums, examining the pods. His aura shimmers to green, as if to match the color of the plants. Brightclaw grunts. (Well I'm not /rubbing/ it on myself...) MacTabar looks for other signs of life. Besides the grass and pods, there is no other life visible here. MacTabar looks ejectively at the pods and declares sarcastically: (Greetings. I come in peace) Brightclaw seems to be enjoying the greenery, and runs after a floating pod. (Haha...) Volestad furrows his brow and looks at the others. "We could try something productive, like taking a sample." Brightclaw attempts to pop one prematurely with the rifle muzzle. Trillan looks toward Brightclaw at his antics and minutely shakes his head, moving toward him. The pod bursts readily, spreading a cloud of floating seeds. Brightclaw ipp's and tries to avoid getting a seeding. Trillan frowns and reaches out toward Brightclaw, pulling him back. MacTabar yelps "Eh, watch it! Brightclaw yipes, and stumbles slightly as Trillan pulls him. (Hey, what's - whoa!) One of the pods breaks off and falls to the ground, but it does not break. Volestad walks carefully among the pods, trying not to rupture any with his movements. Brightclaw points at the pod. (Well look at that one. It's ... maybe not ripe...) Brightclaw searches his shirt and trousers. (Unfortunately I have no bags on me... Trillan?) Sharpeye pulls a sample bag from his belt, kneeling down next to the fallen yet unbroken pod. "Now let's see... it seems pretty fragile. Anyone have some packing sprayfoam on them?" Trillan gives Brightclaw's collar, where'd he'd taken a hold of to pull him back, a little shake. "Perhaps a little more caution and less enthusiasm would be adviseable." MacTabar ponders: (I'm not a botanist, but I would guess they fertilizing right now.) Then adds with some worry (Those masks *will* block the pollen, now will they?) Volestad frowns. "I did not think that sprayfoam would be standard scientific equipment." Brightclaw raises a brow. (Aye aye, /sir/.) He snorts at Trillan's attitude. Sharpeye shakes his head. "No, it's not... but we need something to keep this from breaking as we take it back." Trillan quirks an eyebrow as he resumes his shadowing of Sharpeye. "As I recall, Snowmist is currently regretting just such an attitude as yours..." Brightclaw opens his mouth to speak and then shuts it. (Well, can't argue with that kind of logic...) He shrugs and chases pods when nobody's looking. Volestad shrugs. "If it breaks, could we not simply get another? There are quite a few of these plants around." He gestures over the field. Sharpeye shrugs. "I don't see any Vanguard officers with rifles hiding in the bushes, thank you." Trillan glances at the Imperator as it appears Sharpeye caught his comment to Brightclaw. "If something needs be that obvious to register as dangerous, then I wouldn't give much odds to continued survival." Brightclaw jumps a little, trying to catch a milky in his paw. Volestad hums, "This place seems prety devoid of life. It is not exactly a paradise, but it does seem to be relatively safe. This island has been in place long enough for these plants to grow, after all." Brightclaw stops jumping at that. (Yes, you'd think there would be some sort of animals to eat them...) He looks around suspiciously. The seed jerks around in the air at the slightest breeze, avoiding Brightclaw's paw in an almost teasing manner. Brightclaw looks balefully up at the escaping seed. Sharpeye quirks his lips. "We can't know until we can do a complete orbital survey of the planet. Which is going to take a while unless we can figure out a way to scan through the unusually thick cloud layer." Volestad hums, "Besides being below it, although this hampers the accuracy of the sensors greatly." Brightclaw lets out a big *yawn* and stretches comfortably. (Well, I like this place anyways.) He frisks lazily through the pods, and looks off in the distance at the vapor spouts. Trillan nods. "Then perhaps just a light reconnaissance? Find a way to perform a detailed scan later..." A glance toward Brightclaw adequately conveys that his main intention is to keep the first claw moving and out of trouble. MacTabar looks to Brightclaw and remarks: (I advised you to be more cautious of touching those plants. You don't know what kind of allergic reactions you might get. Remember, we are aliens here). And adds pointedly: (besides, I've known very potent contact poisons to come off of very innocent looking plants...) Brightclaw stops frisking suddenly, an ear cocked towards MacTabar. (Uh, did you say.. poisons?) Brightclaw gingerly hops out of a patch of pods. Volestad hums. "Yes... If I remember correctly, there is a certain type of rose that is quite lethal." Brightclaw looks about for a nice bare spot of ground to stand on. (Mm. Lethal.) Trillan motions before them. "Retrieve the pods later. Don't want to carry them around while exploring." Brightclaw motions toward the plant-less steam-gouting place. (Why don't we move on?) Brightclaw gulps, staring at the now poisonous pods floating about. (We should really move on.) Volestad hums, regarding the vents in the distance, "That looks interesting..." Brightclaw moves off without any further prodding required. (Alright, sounds good to me.) Brightclaw heads into Geyser Swamp. Volestad heads into Geyser Swamp. MacTabar heads into Geyser Swamp. Sharpeye heads into Geyser Swamp. You head into Geyser Swamp. Brightclaw frowns slightly as the mud sucks at his desert boots. (Aggh. Not much to see here...) He blinks at the geysers, apparently not having seen one before. (What is-) Trillan picks his footing fastidiously...but less to avoid mud than to test his footing, looking entirely distrustful of the slippery ground. Volestad looks around at the blasting steam vents in this area, "Intriguing..." He flares with red as one near him goes off. MacTabar says, "(takes me back to my honeymoon in Yellowstone.)" Brightclaw turns toward MacTabar. (Yellowstone. Sounds Demarian.) Sharpeye quirks his lips, tapping at a datapad. Trillan turns a slow circle. "Seems we've hit the end of this trail." Volestad hums, "This place reminds me of a rather secluded spot on Vollista. Or rather, it was secluded until the geothermal power plant went up." Brightclaw tries unsuccessfully to stand on /top/ of the mud. (Ugh. You could harness this geothermal energy I suppose, if you wanted to - yigh) Sharpeye's comm suddenly emits a rapid click, signalling an incoming call. Sharpeye pulls the comlink from his belt, flipping the switch. "Battleclaw here. What is it?" Snowmist's voice calls out half-teasingly, "Boooooooring..." Brightclaw sighs a little. (Too bad we're not scientists. Maybe we could figure out why there's no fauna around. There's certainly a lot of mud. Trillan flicks an ear at Sharpeye's calling himself 'battleclaw'. "Old habits die hard?" Brightclaw looks down ruefully at his buried boots. (Don't need a sample bag for the mud, in any case.) Sharpeye mutes the comlink for a second and glances at Trillian. "I still am, you know." He flips the switch on again. "Boring, huh? Want me to feed Brightclaw to one of the man-eating plants?" Volestad hums, "Snowmist is still injured from her altercation in the Commercial quarter?" He flickers with blue. Brightclaw favors Sharpeye with a little frown, and lifts an ear. A pause, after which Snowmist notes in a strained voice, "Y'know, Sharp, it ain't comfortable...for me t'laugh right now. An' be m'guest...that silly kit deserves it...messin' 'round with...alien plants like that." Brightclaw looks around, wondering. (How do you know, exactly, Mist? That is...) He peers suspiciously at the little comm Sharpeye holds. Sharpeye smirks. "I would hope he already learned his lesson from the poisonberry juice on Quaquan." Brightclaw flails his left boot out of the mud and tries to shake it free of mud, unfortunately in MacTabar's direction. Volestad lifts his eyebrows, "Sounds like a... unique drink." Trillan nods to Volestad. "It's why she's still residing on the Heart, rather than coming here with us." Brightclaw winces at the mention of poisonberries. "So we wish." Despite the tinny quality of the comm and her own weakness, Snowmist nevertheless manages to convey a hint of wryness. "Unfortunately...if he'd proved capable...o' learning, he would've been cured...o' such foolishness long ago." MacTabar after a somber frown towards Brightclaw, looks around and says (Well, we have energy supply, arable land, a source of water... With a dome over the place, we could certainly establish a colony here.) "Yeah, but the question," Sharpeye says, "is do we really want to? I don't really know many people who'd wanna live on this rock." Volestad hums, "I am still curious about the geological potential of such a young planet. I think we have barely scratched the surface, in that respect." Brightclaw pauses his grooming, catching Mac's frown. (Oh, sorry, there.) He shrugs, looking about. (Not sure an actively volcanic island would be all that lovely a place to live- yes, I agree, Commander.) Trillan tilts his head back in the direction they had come from. "Then shall we take a look at the other end of the island? Make a thorough inspection before settin' up real estate..." Brightclaw nods, and schwicks through the mud back the way they came. Brightclaw heads into Pod Forest. MacTabar heads into Pod Forest. Volestad follows, not sorry to leave the swamp behind. Volestad heads into Pod Forest. Sharpeye heads into Pod Forest. You head into Pod Forest. Brightclaw minces through the pods carefully, almost running through certain parts. Brightclaw heads into Salt Flat. Volestad heads into Salt Flat. MacTabar heads into Salt Flat. Sharpeye heads into Salt Flat. You head into Salt Flat. MacTabar says, "Well, it's not any worse than Antarctica. Or the Moon. Or the slums in Spring Dome, for that matter." Brightclaw looks about for other trails. (There are slums already?) Volestad looks up toward the montain peak to the northeast. "Quite a climb, it would seem..." Trillan says, "Then shall we start? The sooner we begin..." MacTabar glances toward the peak "I guess it's our next destination. Shall we?" then starts toward it Brightclaw sighs. (I don't suppose anyone brought any /food/) He mutters and begins hiking upwards. MacTabar heads into Windy Crevice. Volestad nods, and follows the trial along with the others. Brightclaw heads into Windy Crevice. Sharpeye heads into Windy Crevice. You head into Windy Crevice. Volestad arrives from Salt Flat. Brightclaw is breathing heavily under the mask, steaming it up now. (Gads, what a horrible contraption this mask is.) Volestad takes a seat on a nearby boulder. "I concur." He says, rasping lightly. MacTabar tesases Brightclaw: (You can always eat the pods) Brightclaw leans against a rock heavily. Trillan insinctively leans away from the hole and the winds as he approaches it, keeping one hand constantly on nearby rock formations to steady himself, claws unsheathed for better purchase. Peering down the hole, you can see a wind-worn passage descending steeply into the mountain. The passage twists off not far down the tube. Brightclaw gives a foggy-visored look to Mac. (I'm glad - *pant* - you can laugh.) Volestad catches his breath, and edges toward the hole to peer into it. His shortened hair still manages to whip around in the strong breeze. Brightclaw pushes off the rock, and curiously makes his way towards the crevice as well. MacTabar approaches cautiously towards the hole Trillan gives the crevice a quick, incurious rake with his gaze before pulling back and looking toward the others. "Seems there's a passage down. You want to take it?" He tilts his head. "Funny thing is it looks well worn. Don' know by what, though." Brightclaw lifts a brow. (Lava, steaming hot water, take your pick.) Sharpeye holds a small canister over the crevice, retrieving an air sample and hooking it onto his belt. Volestad hums, "The air flow might have done this, too." He leans, to get a better look. Brightclaw says, "(Of course, you only live once...)" He edges towards the crevice, slipping down and in." Brightclaw moves toward the hole, and promptly loses his hold and is sucked down the passage. From somewhere down the crevice, Brightclaw says, "(Whoooaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!)" Volestad flares with red as Brightclaw is sucked into the hole. "Oh, my..." Trillan raises an eyebrow and quickly follows Brightclaw down. You move over to the opening, but the gale-force winds pull you down through the crevice. The smooth sides of the tube prevent you from getting a grip....You slide out of the passage and onto the thankfully soft, sandy floor of an underground chamber. From somewhere down the crevice, Trillan shoots out from the overhead passage, landing on the sandy floor of the cave. From somewhere above, MacTabar moves toward the hole, and promptly loses his hold and is sucked down the passage. MacTabar shoots out from the overhead passage, landing on the sandy floor of the cave. Brightclaw calls out (Wait! I'm not sure there's a way back from here!) MacTabar attempts to climb up through the passage to the surface, but slips off the edge of the opening. From somewhere above, Sharpeye calls down. "Hey guys! You okay down there?" From somewhere above, Volestad sighs. "Well... they will need someone familar with caves." He moves toward the hole. From somewhere above, Sharpeye says, "Wait." From somewhere above, Volestad stops short. Trillan growls and rolls forward with his momentum, managing to halt in a crouch. MacTabar yells up: "We gonna need ropes." From somewhere above, "Got it!" Sharpeye says. "Gimme a minute." Brightclaw examines the rifle, glad the safety stayed on. (Gads, what a mess.) From somewhere above, Sharpeye pulls the comlink from his belt. "Hey, Mist, send someone over here with some rope and a hoverharness." Trillan takes a good look around before narrowing his pale gaze on Brightclaw. "I would never have thought we'd be in such a predicament..." he drawls, voice heavy with sarcasm. From somewhere above, "Will do," Snowmist's voice acknowledges, all business. Brightclaw brightens, seeing Trillan's discomfort. (Well, son, it's of little import.) He stands and brushes sand off himself. (At least /this/ is familiar,) he says of the yellow grains. From somewhere above, Volestad hums. "These winds are pretty strong. It might be difficult to climb, even with the ropes." Brightclaw yells up "Maybe we can find another way around!" He pads over to the branching passages and peers around the corners. From somewhere above, Sharpeye nods. "That's why I asked for the hoverharness." Trillan twitches a whisker annoyedly at Brightclaw's insistance on rushing into things headlong. "You're worse than a kit...can't stand still for more'n a min." From somewhere above, Volestad picks up some dirt and casts it toward the crevice, watching the suction pattern. "We will need to be very careful. Narrowing the passage with equipment or people will increase the pull of the wind." Besides the indications of movement caused by those now in the cave, there is little evidence of anything else. From somewhere above, Up the side of the path come two Demarians, carrying equipment. Brightclaw says, "(Strange lifeless place, this...)" From somewhere above, Snowmist growls out, "An' inform...that mangy rug Claw that I've got a piece o' mind...t'give 'im when he gets back...t'cover the one he's obviously lost..." From somewhere above, "Yeah, will do," Sharpeye says into the comlink. Brightclaw grins back at Trillan. (She really likes me, you know.) MacTabar hrmms (Obviously...) Trillan snorts, Brightclaw's comment actually inciting a grin out of him, howevery wry. "I can tell." Brightclaw pokes his head curiously into the passageways. Brightclaw says, "(Well, there's a goes-into, there must be a goes-outof..)" Brightclaw points upward towards the surface. MacTabar yells up : (and some source of light would be quite useful too) Trillan paces toward the west passage, trying to pierce the gloom. "Well, if air's flowing through here..there must be some sort of exit for it to go out." From somewhere above, Sharpeye waves to the two Demarians. "Come on, bring that over here." Brightclaw sniffs the air down the passageways. (Wonder if there's anything /alive/ around here...) He gulps a little, clutching the rifle. From somewhere above, Volestad looks at the piece of equipment. "How does the harness work?" Brightclaw lifts the bottom of his mask to take a little whiffle. Brightclaw crinkles his nose and pops the mask back on. (Eygh. Sulphur and brimstone. The Earth devil's lair.) From somewhere above, "Same principle as the hover chairs or any other piece of anti-gravity equipment," Sharpeye says, taking one of the ropes. "We just attach a rope to the harness, throw it down, have someone get in it, and we pull them up as if they were neutrally buoyant." Brightclaw yells up (Hey! How bout a light!) From somewhere above, Volestad hums, "But will we not still have the air pressure to deal with?" From somewhere above, Sharpeye shrugs. "We have to get them out. This is the easiest way." From somewhere above, Volestad nods stiffly. "What about taking a look around down there? It sounds like there are other passages." From somewhere above, Sharpeye says, "That lead where? Deeper into the planet? I think I'd rather get them out and have an exploration team come back at a later date with the proper equipment." From somewhere above, Volestad shrugs, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." He peers back toward the hole. MacTabar yells up (maybe the cat people here can see in the dark, but I can't) From somewhere above, Sharpeye fastens the rope to the harness and tosses it down the hole. From somewhere above, Snowmist's voice is heavy with concern as she says, "Sharp, if y'can't get 'em out...maybe give 'em somethin'...we can track 'em by? You an' Vol...can come back and we'll see 'bout landin' Heart...somewhere near where they get out..." From somewhere above, Sharpeye quirks his lips. "Well, let's try this first." The harness careens off the walls of the hole as it slides out into the cave. Brightclaw glances at the rope, then at the passages. He murmurs to himself as he glances at the others, sidling towards the east passage. Trillan, naturally, keeps a close eye on Brightclaw after his past experiences with him. Brightclaw smiles over at Trillan when he looks over. (Just... ahem. Looking at this strange formation on the wall.) He goes around the corner a little ways, trying to edge out of sight. Trillan sighs in resignation and lopes toward him. "At least have someone to watch your back when you decide to plunge headfirst into dark holes in the earth..." Brightclaw grins and winks at Trillan. (I thought you'd never offer, son.) He skips off down the east passageway. Brightclaw heads into Dark Chamber. You head into Dark Chamber. Brightclaw looks about and spots the faint lights with his sensitive eyes. (Hmmm... interesting, no?) He grins at Trillan. Trillan snorts, all available senses on the alert. "I suppose you can call it that. I gladly leave the adventures to Smoke." There is a gleam now in BC's eyes, and he seems to feed on the adventure of it. (Smoke? Who's that?) he asks absently, and peers around the bend. Trillan shrugs, following Brightclaw at a more sedate gait. "Sorry, Snowmist. Her call name's Smoke. I sometimes slip. Habit." Brightclaw stops long enough to give Trill an 'Oh.' Trillan says, "Well, satisfied your curiosity yet? Should prolly check on the other fellow and see if they'd managed to get him out yet..." Brightclaw gestures down towards the blue light. (But my favorite color is blue.) He grins toothily and pads around the bend. Trillan growls and realizes too late he's too far away to stop Bright and is forced to follow him into the next chamber. Brightclaw arrives from Sapphire Crystal Chamber. You head into Sapphire Crystal Chamber. Clusters of long blue crystals jut out, covering the inner surface of this sphere completely, jutting out from the curved walls and even the domed ceiling. The crystals all seem firmly rooted to the stone, but the ones around the fallen piece of rocky shell look to have been knocked loose. (Amazing.) BC stands speechless at the glittery blue crystals, slowly reaching his paw out to touch the clusters... Trillan pauses at the entrance, looking about with unabashed curiosity and a hint of wonder. The surface of the crystals are smooth, and seem just a little cold to the touch. Brightclaw says, "(I wonder what these crystals are lit by? Perhaps they're some sort of energy source as well..)" BC turns to Trillan to get his opinion. Brightclaw looks for a smaller rod he can snap off. Trillan kneels at the edge of the fallen rock shell they're standing on, picking up one of the blue fragments that had been knocked loose, holding it up for a closer inspection. "I don't know. I'm sure Mist would love to have a look at these though..." He stands, pocketing the sliver. "She's always had an eye for the bright, glittery things." The crystals on the floor look loose enough pull loose. All you have to do is take them. Volestad arrives from Dark Chamber. Sharpeye arrives from Dark Chamber. MacTabar arrives from Dark Chamber. Trillan is just straightening from a crouch, slipping one of the blue crystal shards into a pocket. MacTabar looks around and whoops (Magnificent!) Volestad awes at the sphere they are in, his aura blending into the glow of the sapphire crystals. "Amazing..." Sharpeye looks up at the immense chamber. "Erm.... wow." You carefully reach down to the loose patch of crystals and slide one of the crystal blue rods out of the cluster..blue crystal clusters gave you blue crystalline rod. You grab the azure shaft of crystal and carry it with you. Brightclaw pulls on a crystal from the loose cluster on the floor but is unable to dislodge it. MacTabar asks around in amazement (anyone has any idea of what this is. Don't tell me it's natural phenomena.) Sharpeye says, "And why not?" Volestad hums long, "It is highly unusual, but not impossible. It reminds me of a geode, actually..." Driven by a growing insatiable curiousity, BC is already edging towards the exit to the cavern. (Oh, it's - amazing, all right. Crystals seem to be some sort of ... energy source, not like a normal geode at all.) Trillan glanes toward Brightclaw with a crooked grin. "Guess you're already thinking 'bout the green lights..." Brightclaw holds a paw out to Trillan. (May I see that crystal for a moment? And well, yes.) Brightclaw grins. Brightclaw is looking to see if it's still glowing. The rod still glows softly, with an internal light. MacTabar looks around if he can figure some symmetry out of the whole pattern of crystals. Brightclaw says, "(I wonder how it would interact with surroundings, you know, based on the environment? Perhaps it's a sort of detector based on .... frequencies of energy?)" He puts his paw towards it to see if the light changes." Trillan shrugs. "Best done in labs." The sphere seems to be laid out to geometric perfection as far as can be determined. The crystal growths themselves are cluster in groups of six. Brightclaw snorts at Trillan. (You're a very conservative fellow for a young Demarian.) The light of the rod does not change noticeably to touch or proximity to the people here. Brightclaw peers at the rod more closely. (Let's keep it out for now, see if it changes its light while we walk about, eh?) He looks longingly towards the outer passage. (Should take a look at that green light...) Trillan quirks an eyebrow. "I've had a conservative upbringing." With the cryptic response, he quickly slips out of the cavern before waiting for a reaction. Volestad hums, "It certainly is possible that it could be used as a detector. Different crystals resonate at different patterns, based on their lattice structure." You head into Dark Chamber. Brightclaw arrives from Sapphire Crystal Chamber. MacTabar arrives from Sapphire Crystal Chamber. Volestad arrives from Sapphire Crystal Chamber. MacTabar heads into Emerald Crystal Chamber. Brightclaw huffs as he trails behind Trillan. Trillan is already moving toward the other passage, ducking into the southeast passage. Brightclaw heads into Emerald Crystal Chamber. You head into Emerald Crystal Chamber. Volestad arrives from Dark Chamber. Brightclaw reaches a paw out to gently touch the green crystal with a paw. (These look less peaceful.) Volestad peers down the tunnel at the clusters of green crystals. His eyes come to rest on the passage at the far end of the tunnel. MacTabar points towards the passage: (And I guess this way lies the Ruby chambers.) Trillan glances toward Brightclaw at the strange pronouncement before moving over toward him. Volestad listens to the hum that permeates the cave, "The music here is soothing..." Brightclaw touches the crystal tentatively. The crystal vibrates to the touch. It also shifts slightly in its rooting. Trillan tilts his head. "Looks like you can take a sample of this as well." Brightclaw furrows his brows, and gently pulls at the crystal. MacTabar cautiously approaches the east passage and tries to look for a red glow Brightclaw breaks one of the stout green crystals from a nearby cluster. Brightclaw lifts the emerald crystal into his hands. There is no light emanating from the far end of the passage. Brightclaw gestures to Trillan. (Let's see what it does next to the blue one, eh?) He holds the green crystal out. The green crystals hums in a higher pitch as it nears the blue rod. The rod also flares brighter, just noticeably. Volestad hums, "It appears that the crystals are reactive to each other." MacTabar heads into Dark Chamber. MacTabar arrives from Dark Chamber. Brightclaw says, "(Hmmm... I wonder if this is what is causing all this seismic disturbance...)" He nods to Vole. (I'll bet Altheor's shoes that this could end up being a nice energy source for us.)" Snowmist's voice is barely legible over the pop and hiss of static as she comms Sharpeye. "...what...can you please...damned mangy rug..." Brightclaw withdraws the crystals and places them carefully into a belt pouch. (Best keep them separate for now.) MacTabar looks toward Brightclaw with an amused look (I think she's talking about you) Each crystal promptly returns to normal (well, their normal) as they are separated. Brightclaw snorts at MacTabar. (I think you're starting to get the picture.) Trillan tips an amused ear toward Sharpeye's comm. "Indeed. She's using the same, ah, 'endearments' as before..." Volestad hums, "These crystals must be electromagnetically active, judging by the interference." He flickers with orange, clashing with the green light in the cave. Brightclaw takes in a slow breath. (Well, that about covers the exploration of these caves, except possibly...) He glances at the rather dangerous looking passage behind the crystals. Trillan nods as he notes Brightclaw's line of sight. "Interesting. But we'll have to get these out to the others before anything can be done with them." He moves toward the east exit. MacTabar looks toward the passage they came in (Have you verified the south passage over there?) Brightclaw starts to warn Trillan, but is bemused by it. (Yes, right that way..) Brightclaw trots toward the east passage as well, peering in. The walls along this direction have the luster of dampness to them. You head into Sulphur Caves. Brightclaw arrives from Emerald Crystal Chamber. Volestad arrives from Emerald Crystal Chamber. MacTabar arrives from Emerald Crystal Chamber. Sharpeye arrives from Emerald Crystal Chamber. Brightclaw grins. (Good thing we didn't explore a new passage.) He winks at Trillan. Trillan tilts his head back to the others as they file in. "Only one way out," he notes, waving toward the stone funnel. He grants Brightclaw a wry smile before slipping beyond the boulder. Brightclaw glances at the boulder to the east. Volestad hums, examining the boulder, "I hope this is not the only way out." The tunnel is blocked by a large boulder. Brightclaw snorts. (And how do you plan on going through that rock, son?) Trillan reemerges from behind the boulder, shaking his head fruitlessly. "Blocked." Brightclaw mutters (Youth.) Sharpeye shrugs. "You have a rifle, don't you, Brightclaw?" Brightclaw nods, and unslings it, handing it to Sharp. Trillan snorts softly as he waves to the cavern in general. "And how did we end up underground in the first place?" MacTabar sizes the boulder and proposes (Maybe if we all push?) Brightclaw furrows his brows a moment. (I might be careful though, Commander, if the boulder's a geode too...) Brightclaw nods. (Might be safer to try first.) Brightclaw drops Pulse Assault Rifle - 1085. The boulder is not so big that as to seem unpushable. At least to you macho types. MacTabar looks at Brightclaw as if he's just been possessed Trillan tilts his head and abruptly turns back where they'd come from. "There had been another passage earlier...hold on..." You head into Emerald Crystal Chamber. You head into Dark Chamber. You head into Drafty Cavern. You head into Tubular Caves. You head into Drafty Cavern. You head into Dark Chamber. You head into Drafty Cavern. You head into Tubular Caves. You head into Tubular Caves. You head into Magma Pool. You bend down and pick up one of the metal spheres. It is only just cool enough to carry. metallic spheres gave you hollow sphere. You pick up the metallic sphere. You feel some sort of fluid slosh around inside. You head into Tubular Caves. You head into Drafty Cavern. You head into Dark Chamber. You head into Emerald Crystal Chamber. You head into Sulphur Caves. Brightclaw says, "(Might be a nice energy source back there, but I don't think we're equipped, necessarily. Unless you all feel adventurous.)" Volestad turns back to Trillan as he returns. Trillan shakes his head as he reenters. "Didn't find a likely exit, though there were a few interesting chambers. You might wanna take a look sometime. Got this from one of 'em." He holds out a small, metallic sphere for their inspection. Sharpeye snorts. "Yeah, could also be a wall of fire-hot steam, ready to trounce out upon us and turn us into dumplings." Brightclaw says, "(Hmmm.. interesting.)" Sharpeye peers at the sphere. "What is it?" Brightclaw nods. (I have to concur, Commander.) MacTabar looks at the sphere with intense curiosity Volestad peers at the metal sphere. "How unusual..." This is a metal alloy sphere, apparently formed naturally. Judging by its weight, you imagine that the shell is half a centimeter thick, although it may be thinner if it is a dense metal. Some sort of liquid appears to be enclosed by the sphere. "Well, whatever it is," Sharpeye says, "let's take a look back on the ship, hmmm? We can come back here later with some protective gear." Brightclaw frowns a little. (Doesn't exactly look like a natural formation, does it?) Trillan shrugs, slipping it in with the blue crystal shard. "Whole pile of these, if you wish to see." Brightclaw nods. (I'd like to.) Brightclaw heads into Emerald Crystal Chamber. You head into Emerald Crystal Chamber. You head into Dark Chamber. Brightclaw arrives from Sapphire Crystal Chamber. Brightclaw heads into Drafty Cavern. You head into Drafty Cavern. You head into Tubular Caves. Brightclaw arrives from Drafty Cavern. Trillan slips into the southeast passage. You head into Magma Pool. Brightclaw arrives from Tubular Caves. Volestad arrives from Tubular Caves. Brightclaw reaches down to take one of the spheres, but quickly snatches his hand back. Brightclaw says, "(Ouch!)" Brightclaw says, "(So it /is/ natural..." Sharpeye arrives from Tubular Caves. Volestad watches the magma flow with fascinating. "I have never seen such a sight..." Brightclaw nods. MacTabar arrives from Tubular Caves. Brightclaw looks around curiously. (I am sure we need to go back soon, but... this is so interesting.) He walks out of the cavern, looking about curiously. Brightclaw heads into Tubular Caves. Brightclaw arrives from Tubular Caves. Brightclaw heads into Tubular Caves. MacTabar heads into Tubular Caves. Volestad hums, "Does not seem to be much of an exit this way..." Trillan nods as he exits. "I said there didn't appear to be an exit this way..." You head into Tubular Caves. Volestad arrives from Magma Pool. You head into Drafty Cavern. Volestad arrives from Tubular Caves. You head into Dark Chamber. You head into Drafty Cavern. You head into Tubular Caves. Brightclaw shakes his mane out. (Gads it's horribly hot here... let's get a move on out. I think we've seen enough.) Volestad arrives from Tubular Caves. Trillan quirks a whisker. "Is that boulder the only thing blocking a possible exit?" He looks toward Brightclaw, holding out a hand. "Mind if I see the reaction 'tween the crystals again?" Brightclaw pulls out the rod. Trillan takes out what he's collected as well, juggling the metal ball and blue sliver in one hand while he takes Brightclaw's green crystal and brings them closer together. As the crystals get close, the hum and glow brighter, and attract each other. There are a few tiny sparks between them, but they are not touching yet. Trillan immediately puts more distance between them, blinking. "You see that?" he asks of the others. Volestad nods, flickering red. "They seem to be of opposite poles..." Brightclaw nods, and lifts a brow. (Not sure we'd want sparking or an explosion in this kind of environment.) He looks about. Trillan raises an eyebrow. "Think the reaction'll be big enough for an explosion? Might just take care of that boulder for us..." Brightclaw heads out. (To the boulder then.) Brightclaw heads into Tubular Caves. You head into Tubular Caves. You head into Drafty Cavern. Brightclaw heads into Dark Chamber. You head into Dark Chamber. You head into Emerald Crystal Chamber. Brightclaw heads into Sulphur Caves. Volestad arrives from Dark Chamber. You head into Sulphur Caves. Volestad arrives from Emerald Crystal Chamber. MacTabar arrives from Emerald Crystal Chamber. Brightclaw takes out the green crystals and lays them in a wedge near the boulder's base, backing off a bit. Brightclaw places the green crystal down. Brightclaw gestures to Trill. (Alright, you may want to ah... be careful placing that.) Trillan glances at Brightclaw and then the green crystal. "Guess I get to test my aim?" He hefts the blue crystal in his left palm. Brightclaw nods. Brightclaw steps back a bit more. Brightclaw says, "(How's your throwing?)" Volestad ducks behind a stalagmite, flickering with red and yellow. Brightclaw backs all the way to the entrance, standing under the archway, noting the stalactites on the ceiling. MacTabar ducks too, not glowing at all though Trillan shrugs. "Guess we'll find out. An' hopefully that natural attraction we saw'll take care of the rest." He takes a step back and then casually lobs the blue crystal at the green one while ducking and turning his head away. The crystal spears toward the boulder, and is in fact naturally attracted to the green crystal lump. It lands a mere centimeter away, and begins to throb with energy. The crystals hum and glow brighter and brighter, until suddenly a massive electrical arc discharges across the silver deposits around the boulder. The crystals are blown back, large intact and the boulder shifts. There is a burst of steam, but the pressure bleeds off quickly. MacTabar uh ohs Brightclaw peers at the situation from his rather distant vantage point. A passage has been revealed at the end of the funnel. Brightclaw pads nearer, whiskers twitching (Everyone alright?) Trillan flinches at the noise, and hastily retrieves the remainder of the blue shard, making sure that it's well away from the green one. "How's the position of the boulder? Shifted enough for us to slip through?" Volestad glances up over the stalagmite, "It worked...?" Brightclaw lifts the emerald crystal into his hands. The crystals are knicked, but largely intact. Brightclaw scoops up the green shard and tucks it away. (Nice work, Trillan. Let's get moving.) Trillan nods, moving around the boulder. You crawl into the tunnel, with is full of steam and water so hot it nearly scalds you. There is a sharp upward curve in the tunnel. The walls are slippery, but jagged enough for you to maintain your footing. The tunnel gets brighter as you climb, until you reach the surface... Geyser Swamp MacTabar heads into Pod Forest. Brightclaw lets out a startled laugh! Trillan grimaces in distaste and wipes excess water from his fur. Volestad clamors up the geyser after the others, into the swamp. He brushes off the mud from his suit and jacket. Brightclaw says, "(Let's go get some food and a hot - er, lukewarm shower, eh?)" He pads off through the mud." Brightclaw heads into Pod Forest. Volestad nods, "Agreed." Trillan shakes his head as he heads off back toward the ships. Trillan pauses on the way up the Heart's ramp. "Did we want to head back to Sanc? Or should we just park in orbit and take a breather?" Brightclaw doesn't pause at all, and snorts. (I've had enough steam baths for one day.) He boards the ship. Snowmist exits from the Heart of Gold. Volestad sighs, "We might as well stay at the planet for the night. Though I think I have done as much surveying of it as I care too." Brightclaw nods over his shoulder to Vole, and hails Mist on his way onboard. Brightclaw enters an access code and boards the Heart of Gold. Snowmist scowls darkly at Brightclaw from where she's leaning against the hatchway. "Damned...kit..." she rasps. MacTabar chortles Volestad tilts his head, looking toward Snowmist. Trillan shakes his head as he moves up the Heart's boarding ramp and gently takes her uninjured arm. "Come on, Smoke. Wouldn't do to land you back in med again." Volestad smooths out his damp, dirty hair, and heads up to the ramp to the Telltale Heart. "I do believe I need some rest." He turns to MacTabar. "You may quarter aboard the Telltale Heart for the night." A corner of Snowmist's mouth quirks as she glances over the others, allowing Trillan to help her and trying to steady her breathing to a steady, if shallow rhythm. "What happened? Lost...contact after a bit...some sorta interference..." Volestad boards the Telltale Heart. MacTabar numbly mumbles something inaudible and follows Vole MacTabar boards the Telltale Heart. Trillan firmly leads her back into the Heart. "Later." Snowmist enters an access code and boards the Heart of Gold. category:Arc VI logs category:Classic Exploration logs